The Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt II — November 2015 (VI)

TCTreasure

PRELUDE

Congratulations Ken (again!); congratulations Steven!
Out of all the hunters it was yours whose odds were even.
Many searched, but few withstood the summer heat and sun;
Our Get-Together treasure hunt endeavor sure was fun!

November's here, and with it comes the promise of more loot:
Our second Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt—and she's a beaut!
Get your registrations in, let's sweeten up that pot;
On the fifteenth we start the chase, so give it your best shot!

TCTreasure

CLUE #1

Everybody ready? Got your registrations in?
Let's start the chase then, boys and girls! Who knows? You just might win.
Search the great outdoors to find our secret treasure trove—
A needle in a haystack, in a tiny, hidden grove—

All public places in the cities; from there you may surmise
No golf course, beach, or parking lot will ever hold the prize;
No digging tools will be required, except in case of snow,
And if you're lucky you'll find the jewel—and if not, let it go.

TCTreasure

CLUE #2

Scavenger alumnae, and treasure rookies, too;
Welcome, one and all, to our great gemstone ballyhoo.
You might assume we'd give away our treasure for a song,
But don't assume that we'd assume, or you'll be in the wrong.

TCTreasure

CLUE #3

You'll need to move some leaves and brush, so don't forget your rake,
But to put the cart before the horse would be a big mistake;
Now, then, a riddle, to help you go and find our treasure token:
What do you call a blue bird with four legs, one of them broken?

TCTreasure

CLUE #4

A harpist sits to play their piece; an upright bassist stands.
A singer needs their voice, and violinists need their hands.
A hunter has to keep their wits and take a path that wends;
You could go back in time to the beginnings of the ends.

TCTreasure

CLUE #5

Seven flags blew in the breeze; the faithful crowd looked on.
They held their breath; he took his mark, got set, and, thereupon,
He soared into the record books, and—tearing up the charts—
Became the greatest athlete to have ever roamed these parts.

TCTreasure

CLUE #6

Employ heart and find a way to unravel our earthly poem.
Lots of spots in these two towns, so why not get to know 'em?
Don't look with the monkeys at the zoo—avoid all that red tape;
Ample theory should inform your quest for a motherly ape.

TCTreasure

CLUE #7

A parasite's lunch might help you with your treasure predilection;
You'll note, when you arrive, greenery landscaped to perfection.
It's not on a trail, and it's not at a field for a pitcher and a batter,
But to the treasure you might take the former from the latter.

TCTreasure

CLUE #8

If you're hoping to demystify and understand our verse,
Two ways of moving letters ought to help you claim the purse.
A medallion shine, so bright and clear; don't let your chances vanish.
¡Ándale! — It couldn't hurt to brush up on your Spanish.

TCTreasure

CLUE #9

How do I celebrate Thanksgiving? Like a complete and total glutton.
I eat too much turkey and stuffing and pie, as I loosen my top button.
Find two sisters and the seventh son of a seventh son.
¡No entrar! — A sign nearby will tell you when you've won.

TCTreasure

CLUE #10

The once replete and bountiful Ingebretson's domain
Is but a vestige of its former self—a mere refrain.
If after all of this you feel you're still stuck in the dark,
Well then, we've got news for you: It isn't in a park.

TCTreasure

CLUE #11

Nobody has yet claimed the jewel; it's hidden well with words.
So if you wish to find it, find where half splits into thirds.
Don't go the way of the buffalo, or gamble with your soul;
Find a pleasant boulevard and take it for a stroll.

TCTreasure

CLUE #12

This, of course, will be the dozenth of the dozen clues;
It's been a blast, but this is where I pay my awkward dues.
The jewel you seek is near a park, but not within its bounds.
Find the prize betwixt, between, as you hunt near the grounds.

A tiny garden, named for Uncle Charlie—blink and miss it.
Stop and smell the flowers while you're paying him a visit.
A pair of feline sentries guard the prize, not far away;
Tucked inside a Frozen purse—the cold never bothered me anyway.

TCTreasure

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

CLUE #1

The first letters of each line in this clue spell "ELSA ANNA"—the main characters from the Disney film "Frozen"—while the final three words ("let it go") name drop the film's Oscar-winning song "Let It Go". This is meant to suggest the MacGuffin for the hunt: a small, blue, heart-shaped "Frozen" coin purse, featuring Elsa and Anna on the front.
The "tiny, hidden grove" you were looking for was Perry Garden—a small community garden on the boulevard of Midway Parkway at Hamline Avenue.

CLUE #2

"Scavenger alumnae" anagrams to both "Anagram even clues" and "Anagram clue seven" — instructions for later clues.
"give away" could be taken to suggest Midway Parkway.
"don't assume ... we'd give away our treasure for a song" is meant to suggest the "Let It Go" reference in Clue #1, and that searching for large-scale pointers based on that, or any, song would be "in the wrong."

CLUE #3

This clue is meant to suggest that hunters will have to "move some leaves and brush"—cedar leaves, in particular—in order to uncover the jewel.
"to put the cart before the horse would be a big mistake" is meant to suggest that taking Dan Patch Avenue—which continues Midway Parkway's route westward, into the Minnesota State Fairgrounds—would be a bad idea (Dan Patch was a world-famous harness racing horse; more on him in Clue #5).
"What do you call a blue bird with four legs, one of them broken?" is meant to suggest a blue U.S. Postal Service mailbox—with a rusty, bent leg—adjacent to the hiding spot at Hamline Avenue and Midway Parkway.

CLUE #4

"A harpist sits" anagrams to "This is Sparta!"—a line from the movie 300, which tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, and the Spartan King Leonidas. — Hamline Avenue is named for Leonidas Hamline.
"a path that wends" is meant to suggest a nearby pathway in Como Park, which leads almost directly to the treasure.
"back in time to the beginnings of the ends" references the the first letters of each line in the conclusions of four TC Treasure hunts to date: the Hunt On A Stick, the Bon Appétit Mini-Hunt, the Out To The Ballgame Mini-Hunt, and the February 2015 Great TC Treasure Hunt. All of them start "COMO NO GO," referencing this hunt's Longshot.

CLUE #5

"Seven flags blew in the wind" is meant to suggest the seven flags atop the entrance to the State Fairgrounds—Midway Parkway's western limit.
"He soared into the record books and—tearing up the charts—Became the greatest athlete to have ever roamed these parts" is meant to again suggest Dan Patch—who set a world record at the fairgrounds in 1906, and is often considered the greatest athlete in Minnesota history.

CLUE #6

"employ heart," "earthly poem," "ample theory," and "motherly ape" are all anagrams for "Thermopylae," the site of Leonidas' Battle. — Hamline Avenue is named for Leonidas Hamline.
"motherly ape" could also be taken to suggest hunting near Como Park Zoo—where a gorilla gave birth in February of this year.

CLUE #7

"A parasite's lunch" anagrams to "Search Saint Paul."
"arrive, greenery landscaped" anagrams to "Cedar leaves in Perry Garden."
"It's not on a trail and it's not at a field for a pitcher and a batter, But to the treasure you might take the former from the latter" is meant to suggest hunters take a nearby trail from a baseball field in Como Park straight to the treasure in Perry Garden.

CLUE #8

"Two ways of moving letters" are anagramming and a mailbox. Both would help you find the MacGuffin—a "purse."
"Two ways" is also meant to suggest Midway Parkway.
"A medallion shine" anagrams to "Leonidas Hamline"—Hamline Avenue's namesake.
"It couldn't hurt to brush up on your Spanish" is meant to suggest that translating Clue #9 into Spanish might help you narrow it down.

CLUE #9 (Unpublished)

In Spanish, "How," "Like," "I eat," and "as" all translate to either Cómo, Como, or como.
"Find two sisters" is meant to suggest Elsa and Anna.
"the seventh son of a seventh son" is meant to suggest Perry Como (a famous seventh son of a seventh son)—and Perry Garden, near Como Park.
"¡No entrar!" is Spanish for "Do not enter!"—the "sign nearby" that "will tell you when you've won."

CLUE #10 (Unpublished)

"Ingebretson's domain" anagrams to "Stonebridge Mansion"—the gates of which form the western entrance to Como Park.
"we've got news for you" is meant to suggest a Pioneer Press newspaper vending machine, next to a mailbox and across a sidewalk from Perry Garden.

CLUE #11 (Unpublished)

"where half splits into thirds" is Midway Parkway between the State Fairgrounds and Como Park—where the street becomes trifurcated.
"Don't go the way of the buffalo" is meant to suggest avoiding Bison Avenue—
"or gamble with your soul" and Pascal Street (see: Pascal's Wager)
"Find a pleasant boulevard and take it for a stroll" is meant to suggest searching treelawns, between the streets.

CLUE #12 (Unpublished)

"I pay my awkward" anagrams to "Midway Parkway."
"betwixt, between" is meant to suggest "Midway."
"Uncle Charlie" is Charles Perry—an early settler of the Como Park area, and Perry Garden's namesake.
"Two feline sentries" would be the two lion statues in front of the old Thomas Frankson House at 1349 Midway Parkway.
"a Frozen purse" — The MacGuffin.
"the cold never bothered me anyway" is the final line from the chorus of "Let It Go" (referenced at the end of Clue #1).

LONGSHOT

The first letters of each line in the prelude (and the conclusions to preceding TC Treasure hunts) spell "COMO NO GO," suggesting Hunters search near a Do Not Enter sign at the western entrance of Como Park—outside its boundaries, but still quite nearby.

TC Treasure